Church Sound: Clarifying The Mysteries Of EqualizationWhat does it do? When and how do I use it?By Mike Sokol • December 18, 2018

Some of the most frequently asked questions we get have to do with equalization: “What does it do?” “When and how do I use it?”

For whatever reasons, most church sound staffs desperately want to put EQ to the test and into action. Perhaps it’s that adjusting equalization controls provide immediate sonic response — for better or worse, you can instantly hear what you’ve done.

Equalization can be used in different ways, including: musically (that is, to “sweeten” certain frequencies of an instrument/vocal so that it is smoother sounding or more present in the overall mix); correctively to make a voice or instrument sound more like it should when inadequate microphones, acoustics or the instrument/voice itself needs help; or creatively as a special effect to make voice/instruments sound unnatural and otherworldly, very different from the original sound source...